In too many communities, child care, health care, and other family supports and services are rarely coordinated and are too frequently determined by where families live, their level of income, and their community connections. Policy initiatives at the local, state, and federal level influence how communities are able to develop more effective systems of care. The authors describe a national policy summit being planned by ZERO TO THREE and Invest in Children of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, for the spring of 2007. Summit participants will explore how to develop early childhood systems, learn from successful examples, and understand the connection to state and federal policies that can support or hinder their efforts. The authors also provide suggestions for how early childhood professionals can work toward better coordinated systems of services for young children and their families within their own communities and through state-level initiatives.